Maybe it’s just me, but it sure looks like the giant evil businessman in this political ad is urinating on the little people.
Entries tagged as ‘advertising’
Unfortunate
August 28, 2008 · 1 Comment
Earlier this Summer, someone at work suggested we promote the Olympics by handing out customized fortune cookies. They would contain a message that said something like, “There is much excitement in your future —watch the Olympics on Channel 13.” I thought that was a great idea, except for one thing: people take fortune cookies seriously, and if they’re expecting a fortune and get an advertisement it could really backfire. Remember the Ovaltine decoder ring in “A Christmas Story?” Who wouldn’t feel cheated when they discover that their fortune is just “a crummy commercial?”
Funny thing is that most Chinese people have never even heard of fortune cookies —and this hilarious video from the New York Times shows what happened when they started handing out fortune cookies in China.
Here’s the related article.
Categories: Work
Tagged: advertising
A Brief Video Interlude
August 18, 2008 · No Comments
It only takes about four seconds to know that this spot could only be from Nike, a company that understands its brand like no other. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that they have a huge pile of money to spend on creative, either.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: advertising
My World —And Welcome To It
August 7, 2008 · 4 Comments
Some of the worst advertising in America is for television news.
Generally speaking, it’s overblown, bombastic, ridden with overwrought clichés, and as subtle as an anvil dropped on your head. Someone must have gotten the idea that yelling at your audience is effective, because that approach has spread across America —and go from city to city and you’ll see that all the news promos look alike. I’ll admit that I’ve occasionally been part of the problem, but I’ve tried during my career in broadcast marketing and promotion to do work that was not…well…stupid.
Naturally, news promos have always been a ripe target for parody —and here’s the best one I’ve ever seen, from The Daily Show:
Categories: Work
Tagged: advertising, media, tv
Name Game
June 11, 2008 · 5 Comments
Area blogger Sarah Bird wrote recently:
The local youth softball outfit is called the Bethlehem Tomboys. This bothers me but I can’t quite articulate why.
It could bother her because it’s an interesting example of how society’s always been conflicted over the place where femininity meets athleticism. They came up with the name Tomboys when it was OK to suggest that a girl playing softball was boyish. Today? Not so much. You’d never get away with naming them that in 2008, not in these days when teams like the Warriors and Indians are getting hard to find. This was not a problem where I grew up. We were -and remain- the Carle Place Frogs.
For all the damage the ad world has done in terms of how we view women and the way they view themselves, Nike deserves credit for breaking stereotypes. Their advertising is full of strong women who are anything but “tomboys.” My favorite example is this 2006 spot that features Maria Sharapova on her way to play at the U.S. Open. It’s not just an ad, but a biting piece of satire —and maybe the best use of music in any commercial ever. Plus the casting and directing is brilliant. Here’s a link to a clean version if you can’t stand the crummy YouTube embed…
Categories: Modern Living
Tagged: advertising, words
Criminally Stupid
May 8, 2008 · 2 Comments
I’ve seen some breathtakingly dumb things done in the name of local TV news, but I think maybe WGNO of New Orleans takes the cake. They’re inviting viewers to spin the “Wheel of Justice” and help them catch criminals. The promo says:
OK, it’s like this: We have this wheel. It has pictures of bad guys on it. Real dirt bags. We spin the wheel. When it stops on one of these dirt bags we go after them until we catch them. One more time: You. The wheel. Spin. Catch the creeps. Then it’s bye-bye dirt bag, goodbye. Got it? Etc…
I could be wrong. Maybe trivializing murder and mayhem as a ratings stunt is responsible journalism. I never went to j-school.
WGNO is uses the now popular “Getting Answers” slogan as their branding statement. Here’s a question they should answer: Are your news director and general manager idiots? Watch the spot for yourself. Until the anchor walks in it’s not so bad —except for the vile premise.
Categories: News
Tagged: advertising, promos, tv
The Eagle Has Landed
May 2, 2008 · 5 Comments
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I’m no designer but there’s something about this logo on Zack’s new soccer shirt that’s a little troubling. Hmmm…what could it be? Oh, I know: it reminds me of something from NAZI GERMANY.
I’m sure that’s not the effect the Bethlehem Soccer Club was after, but there’s no denying that it has a very Teutonic feel. This graphic is a direct reference to the coat of arms of Germany, and it’s especially similar to the eagle used by their federal government. OK, fine. However, showing the eagle above a circular image, just as the Nazis displayed the eagle over a wreathed swastika, is maybe a little creepy.
Bethlehem’s teams are known as the eagles, and you have to admit, that’s one cool eagle. When I was ten me and my friends would draw pictures of World War II battles, complete with all sorts of swastika emblazoned flags and airplanes. We loved anything to do with World War II, and we would have found that logo extremely cool.
Images are powerful, and certain images carry a lasting connotation. If I showed you that eagle without the soccer ball, what would you think? And from a marketing and advertising perspective, I’m not sure that’s the icon you would pick to symbolize your company or organization.
Categories: Modern Living
Tagged: advertising, Kids, sports
This Is The Week That Was
April 26, 2008 · 4 Comments
I write a lot of copy every week. Mostly it’s not worth $65,000 per word, but I was especially proud of this sentence: A NEW HOME FOR DOGS LIVING LIKE PIGS IN THE FILTHY HOUSE OF A NEGLECTFUL BREEDER. If dogs are living like pigs, you know things are really bad.
Now this from the amusing typo file: WHEN NEW YORK STATE BUILT THE THRUWAY, THEY PROMISED TO ELIMINATE TROLLS SOME DAY. That’s very good since there are so many bridges on the Thruway.
Here’s an especially absurd idea: SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT YOUR CAR MAKES A STATEMENT; COMING UP, THE STORY OF A CAR THAT DOESN’T JUST MAKE A STATEMENT, IT SHOUTS OUT A MESSAGE OF PEACE AND TOLERANCE. I wonder if that’s covered under the warranty?
Next, there’s something wrong here but I’m not sure what: HANSON-MANIA STRIKES THE CAPITAL REGION —AND WE FELT QUITE A SURGE OF IT RIGHT HERE AT CHANNEL 13 TODAY! OK, that’s what’s wrong: saying surge, mania, and Hanson in the same five seconds .
Finally, my favorite literary technique, good news/bad news: NICE WEATHER —BUT DANGEROUSLY DRY. LIVE AT ELEVEN.
Categories: Work
Tagged: advertising, cars, dogs, words
Word Up
April 24, 2008 · 4 Comments
We’re in the wrong business. Statmats, a company that specializes in marketing and advertising for higher education got paid $260,000 to pen this slogan for UAlbany: The World Within Reach. A UAlbany student wrote to the newspaper complaining that this prices out at $65,000 a word. He must be a math major.
I’ve come up with a slogan or two in my time. In fact, if you live near Albany you might recognize them. I was not paid $65,000 per word, but using that as a benchmark, my most lucrative single job (eight words) would have netted me $520,000. One of the words in that one was “there’s.” Believe me, if I were being paid by the word, I would never have used a contraction in that slogan. It would have been “there is” and I would have pocketed an extra sixty-five large. Ha.
It may sound like I’m being absurd to make a point, but I’m not. Some of the things I wrote were worth $65,000 per word if not many times more. Seriously. Think about it: how much do you think “Just Do It” was worth per word? Or “Mmm…Mmm…Good?” Mmm isn’t even a word, but its value to Campbell Soup is easily in the nine figure range.
If this UAlbany thing ends up another hollow phrase that means nothing, as many slogans do, then they’ve thrown the money away. If they embrace it and makes it part of their being -if they live it and breathe it and believe it- then they’ve made a great investment.
Categories: Work
Tagged: advertising, marketing, words
Vantastic
April 2, 2008 · 5 Comments
Honda has a whole campaign to make minivans look cool called Respect the Van. As someone who’s been called a loser once or twice for driving a Honda Odyssey, I say right on. Those who disrespect the van need a wake up call. For example, my van can be linked to Greek mythology, because like Odysseus it’s been to both Troy and Ithaca. You might also say that it’s been tempted by deadly Sirens since I drive it to fire calls. Has your car been tempted by deadly Sirens, like Odysseus and my van? I think not. Hey, I stopped trying to look cool a long time ago, and after all, why would I want to drive a BMW 750i when I can have the van? As for the idea that a man’s car represents something else, we turn to Peter Sagal, host of the quiz show Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! on NPR:
If a sports car is a symbol for the owner’s manhood, well, my manhood is capacious and large, and like Walt Whitman, contains multitudes. And, improving on Whitman, my manhood has a luggage rack. -Morning Edition 4/26/07
Categories: Modern Living
Tagged: advertising, cars, greek mythology, manly matters
